Poop is one of the first things I talk about with all of my nutrition clients, and we talk about it often (like, in every single session). It tells an important story of what's happening on the inside (of the digestive system). So, when my daughter (4 years old at the time) would go for days without pooping, I knew something was up. 

Was she just holding it in because she was scared of the toilet? Was she eating enough fiber in her diet? If you have kids, you know that fruits and veggies may not be their first  choice of snack! Was she drinking enough water? Was her spine out of alignment and she needed to visit a chiropractor? Those were my first thoughts, and the first things I tried working on with her. I tracked her water intake, we talked about if the potty was scary, we started seeing a chiropractor weekly, and I even added in some fiber supplements to her smoothies. And yet, with all of this effort, still crickets. No poop. She would go up to a week without pooping....

Having a surgery of any kind is a stressful, traumatic event on the body, and when the body is under stress, it requires more nutrients to function optimally and heal. The one nutrient I make sure that all of my clients know about when they are preparing for a surgery is PROTEIN! 

Your protein requirements for optimal function increase pre and post surgery (especially post surgery when the body is recovering). You don't need to go overboard, but you do need to put a focus and effort into increasing the amount you consume. 

In general, protein requirements are about .8 to 1 gram per kilogram of bodyweight for normal, non surgical/non-stressed life function. Post surgery, that requirement jumps to 1.2 to 2 grams per kilogram for a few weeks.

I bring this up, because in a couple weeks I will be having another surgery, another c-section, and I know that in preparation, I have to really up my protein game. While pregnancy already has higher requirements for protein,...

*This post is one of many Quickstart Tips inside the Trainer In Your Back Pocket's Eat Your Way to Energizing Health program, found inside the TBP Membership! *

When it comes to taking something off your plate (of life) to lighten your daily mental and physical load, meal delivery is a great option! There are so many options for meals delivered these days, from gluten free options, to vegan options, to keto options, paleo options, mediterranean options, etc. 

There are seasons of life when cooking/meal prepping/ grocery shopping are simply not a top priority. I know that when I welcome my 3rd child in just a couple of months, meal delivery is going to be something I rely on for a season. Even if it's just a couple meals a week that I don't have to think about, it's such a load off my shoulders. 

Don't consider it "cheating" if you get meals delivered. It's simply another tool you can choose to use for support along your nutrition journey. There are tons of options for meal...

When I started diving down the rabbit hole into the benefits of broccoli sprouts and why I should be making them, I learned about the powerful phytochemical, sulforaphane.  So, I took on the challenge of making them myself!  Below is a quick guide to making your own broccoli sprouts. 

The biggest reason to try growing your own sprouts? Broccoli sprouts are one of the best sources of sulforaphane. Sulforaphane has the ability to promote excretion of toxic substances from the body (aka: helps with detoxing). Research also shows amazing benefits for type 2 diabetics, as well as all inflammatory conditions in the body! So, why not give it a try? It's so simple.

Inside the Trainer In Your Back Pocket membership, we have an entire lesson on this topic, with a deep dive into the biochemistry and benefits of sulforaphane! If you are looking to go a little deeper into nutritional healing, make sure to join our membership for our monthly nutrition lessons! ...

I just wanted to share a random thought I had while I was out for a jog the other day (I get my best ideas and thoughts while I'm exercising, even if they are sometimes super random!) 

So, how is fartlek running like intuitive eating? Simply put, both techniques are all about how your body feels. With fartlek, you run faster when you FEEL like running faster, and go slower when you FEEL like going slower. With intuitive eating, you eat what feels good in your body at that time. If your body is telling you it needs to eat a salad, then eat the salad. If it's telling you that a cookie is the loving choice in that moment, then eat the cookie! 

In both instances, it's about honoring what your body is requesting, and not relying on an external program, like an interval timer for running, or a diet in eating. Interval timers that tell you "go faster for 1 minute, then slower for 2 minutes" mean that you are gauging your intensity based on the timer, not your body. (not to say...

I love when I get questions from TBP members! This question was from one of our TBPers who asked me about some possible reasons for feeling hungry about 30-60 minutes after eating her meals.  Enjoy listening to my response!

Quick recap in video: 

Reasons for still feeling hungry (of course, there could be so many other reasons, but these are some big ones to start thinking about.)

1. Not eating enough for what your body needs. (ie: did you exercise that day and need more calories? or is your body just in an "underfed" state?
2. Was enough FIBER and PROTEIN eaten at the meal? 
3. Are you having a blood sugar response called reactive hypoglycemia, where your blood sugar dips after eating? This can be found out by testing with a glucose meter. 
4. Are you under stress? Stress can cause the adrenals to work harder, and that can also be a cause of blood sugar dips (when your blood sugar dips, surprisingly your body tells you you're hungry!)
5. Do you have a food intolerance to...

Why I’ve stopped including cheat meals in my diet, and why you should, too. 

Cheat meals are perpetuating the cycle of good food vs. bad food. They assign morality to what we eat. How can you shift your perspective to find freedom with food again?

First, let’s uncover what a cheat meal or cheat day is. It’s a technique that many dieters use to reward themselves for following the “food rules” of their diet all week. It’s something to look forward to, and a way to eat the foods that the diet plan doesn’t include. Before we move on, let me ask you this thought to ponder: Why doesn’t the plan include that food you “cheat” with? 

Here’s why that diet or food plan has “cheat food.”  It’s because any diet plan labels food as good or bad. That’s it. Black and white. The food is either on the plan (good) or off the plan (bad).  This way of thinking has been so deeply ingrained in our...

We are evolutionarily designed to nose breath. The nose is the start of the respiratory system.  The mouth was evolutionarily designed to begin the digestion process, not the respiratory process. Mouth breathing is essentially an "emergency state" that we have come to live in.

Nose breathing releases nitric oxide in the body, which increases the CO2 levels in the blood. The level of CO2 in the blood then regulates the release of O2 into the cells to maintain the balance. Mouth breathing does not release nitric oxide, and thus, less oxygen gets released into the cells (leading to all sorts of symptoms such as fatigue, anxiety, depression, digestive issues, immune issues, etc.)

Mouth breathing, especially while asleep, plays a HUGE role in dental health.  Tooth decay and cavities are a big sign of mouth breathing because  when the mouth is dehydrated (ie: you wake up with a dry mouth), there is little saliva in the mouth. Saliva plays a key role in maintaining a healthy...

Are you finding that you start out strong with a goal, but then fall off the wagon because you're not consistently working toward that goal? Listen in as I share 10 tips to increase and improve your consistency problems in any goal or habit that you want to implement into your routine.

1. Ask yourself: Do you really want what IT is? (do you want it for you, or is it something that you think someone else wants for you?) If yes? continue on. If no: Pick a new goal, because this one will not work.
2. Can you picture You 2.0 doing this habit consistently? If yes: keep doing it and picturing the future you doing this habit. If no: Not going to happen, pick a new goal that you can picture the future you doing. (The You 2.0 thought is a great technique I learned from Manifestation Teacher, Tara Brunet.  I am a part of her membership, and am always learning better ways to manifest the things I want into my life via her talks, podcasts, and workshops! Highly recommend!)
3. What doubts do you...